The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
Cellulosic nanomaterials (CN), are the smallest member of the overall hierarchy of cellulose materials and are the most abundant biopolymer. Having high tensile strength and elastic modulus, CN is useful in replacing higher cost and lower strength material, such as carbon or glass fiber, in polymeric composites. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), as a subset of CN, are highly ordered nano-scale crystals remaining after treatment to remove disordered amorphous regions from nanofibrils (the next member of the cellulose hierarchy). However, due to the intrinsic hydrophilic nature of CNC the use of CNC in polymer composites has proven challenging. Poor interfacial adhesion between the CNC and the polymer and poor dispersion of the CNC in the matrix contributes to lower tensile strength and elastic modulus of the composite than would otherwise be possible. Additionally, traditional materials used in polymer composites require high amounts of energy to produce. For example, glass fibers, among the most energy-efficient materials, require 48 MJ/kg to produce compared to 20 MJ/kg required to produce CNC.
Thermoplastics and thermoplastic composites are used widely in myriad of global markets. Polyolefins form an especially robust segment of this industry, comprising greater than 50% of the global thermoplastics market. An increased focus on improving sustainability, as well as persistent economic pressures, drive the need for continuous innovation in this space. In addition to low materials costs, automotive companies as well as electronic device, building-construction, and consumer products manufacturers rely on advantages provided by the selection of polyolefin resins for thermoplastic composites. For this reason, there are myriad advantages present in the thermoplastic processing space, from highly automated equipment which contributes to low cycle-times and labor requirements to the presence of a mature, global supplier base. These have all contributed to propagate thermoplastic composites into applications with increasingly demanding specifications.
While current polymer composites achieve their intended purpose, there is a need for an improved strength, cost-effective, energy-effective, bio-based polymer composite.